This invention relates to an apparatus which is used for pocketing documents in vertically aligned pockets.
In a typical data processing application such as the sorting of documents like checks or punched cards, for example, the series of pockets into which the documents are sorted are generally aligned in a horizontal direction. For some applications, the series of pockets is aligned in a vertical direction; this is true when space considerations are very important.
One of the situations which is encountered with a pocketing apparatus having vertically-aligned pockets is that there generally is a change of direction required in transporting the documents. In this regard, the documents are moved in one direction (generally horizontally) to a transfer station, and thereafter, they are moved in a second direction (generally downwardly) to a plurality of vertically-aligned pocket members where they are selectively sorted into individual pockets.
One of the problems encountered with a pocketing apparatus of the type described in the previous paragraph is that documents tend to jam at the transfer station where the change of direction is effected, making extraction of the jammed document difficult. Another problem with the prior-art pocketing apparatuses of the type described is that the transfer mechanisms at the transfer station are complex and expensive to produce and maintain.